- Source: Abantennarius drombus
Abantennarius drombus, freckled frogfish or Hawaiian freckled frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The freckled frogfish is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
Taxonomy
Abantennarius drombus was first formally described as Antennarius drombus in 1903 by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann with its type locality given a Waikiki on Oahu in Hawaii. In 1987 Pietsch and Grobecker synonymized A. drombus with A. coccineus, but it has subsequently been regarded as a valid species. The two species are distinct from each other in the number of pectoral rays, as well as a color of the esca and the abundance of small dark blotches on the body and fins. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Abantennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.
Etymology
Abantennarius drombus has the genus name Abantennarius which prefixes ab, meaning "away from", onto antennarius, a fish of the family Antennaridae. This is an allusion to the gill opening being positioned away from the base of the pectoral fin, which is typically where it is located in frogfishes. The specific name drombus was not explained and it is not known what Evermann meant by it in this fish or in the genus of Filipino gobies he used this name for.
Description
Abantennarius drombus has 3 dorsal spines, 12 soft rays in the second dorsal fin and 7 soft rays in the anal fin. A distinguishing feature separating it from A. coccineus is that this species typically has 10 pectoral fin rays while A. coccineus has 12. In addition this species has an esca which is not white, whereas in A. coccineus it is white. The illicium is about the same length as the second dorsal spine. The second dorsal fin is not connected to the head with a membrane. There is no caudal peduncle. The color of the freckled frogfish varies from brown to reddish brown or gray, typically marked with small dark blotches, the "freckles" that give it its common name, which are especially obvious on the fins. This species has a maximum published standard length of 12 cm (4.7 in)>
Distribution and habitat
Abantennarius drombus is found in the western central Pacific Ocean where it is found off Johnston Atoll, Midway Atoll and the Hawaiian Islands. It is found in shallow waters at depths between 0 and 104 m (0 and 341 ft), typically shallower than 10 m (33 ft) on coral and rocky reefs.
